GlaxoSmithKline PLC (GSK.L) shares opened the last session at 1476.00, touching a high of 1494.50 and a low of 1464.21 , yielding a change of -8.20. The latest reading places the stock below the Ichimoku cloud which indicates negative momentum and a potential sell signal.

The Ichimoku Cloud was originally called the ‘Ichimoku Kinko Hyo.’ Where Ichimoku means ‘one glance,’Kinko ‘balance’ and Hyo ‘chart.’ Thus the full translation could best be described as ‘one glance balanced chart.’ Originally developed by Goichi Hosada pre WWII, a newspaper journalist (published in 1969) who wanted to develop an Uber-indicator that could provide the trader with various levels of support/resistance, entry/exit points, direction of the trend, and strength of the signal.

The most basic theory of this indicator is that if the price is above the cloud, the overall trend is bullish while below the cloud is bearish, and in the cloud is non-biased or unclear. Lastly, when the price is above the cloud, then the top of the cloud will act as a general support level, and when price is below, the cloud base will act as resistance. But remember the cloud has thickness, and thus resistance does as well, which by making these thicker reduces the risk of a false breakout.

Investors might be looking into the magic eight ball trying to project where the stock market will be heading over the next few months. Some analysts believe that the market is ready to take a bearish turn, but others believe that there is still room for stocks to shoot higher. When the markets do have a sell-off, investors may be tempted to sell winners before they give up previous profits. Sometimes this may be justified, but other times this type of panic selling can cause investors to just have to repurchase shares at a higher price after the recovery. Keeping tabs on the underlying company fundamental data can help provide the investor with a better idea of whether to hold on to a stock or let it go.

Another popular tool among technical stock analysts is the moving average. Moving averages are considered to be lagging indicators that simply take the average price of a stock over a specific period of time. Moving averages can be very useful for identifying peaks and troughs. They may also be used to help the trader figure out proper support and resistance levels for the stock. Currently, the 200-day MA is sitting at 1597.99, and the 50-day is 1618.63.

The 14-day ADX for GlaxoSmithKline PLC (GSK.L) is currently at 36.54. In general, and ADX value from 0-25 would represent an absent or weak trend. A value of 25-50 would support a strong trend. A value of 50-75 would signify a very strong trend, and a value of 75-100 would point to an extremely strong trend. Checking in on some other technical levels, the 14-day RSI is currently at 23.50, the 7-day stands at 16.88, and the 3-day is sitting at 8.01. The Relative Strength Index (RSI) is a momentum oscillator that measures the speed and change of stock price movements. The RSI was developed by J. Welles Wilder, and it oscillates between 0 and 100. Generally, the RSI is considered to be oversold when it falls below 30 and overbought when it heads above 70. RSI can be used to detect general trends as well as finding divergences and failure swings.

At the time of writing, GlaxoSmithKline PLC (GSK.L) has a 14-day Commodity Channel Index (CCI) of -196.09. Developed by Donald Lambert, the CCI is a versatile tool that may be used to help spot an emerging trend or provide warning of extreme conditions. CCI generally measures the current price relative to the average price level over a specific time period. CCI is relatively high when prices are much higher than average, and relatively low when prices are much lower than the average. Investors may be watching other technical indicators such as the Williams Percent Range or Williams %R. The Williams %R is a momentum indicator that helps measure oversold and overbought levels. This indicator compares the closing price of a stock in relation to the highs and lows over a certain time period. A common look back period is 14 days. GlaxoSmithKline PLC (GSK.L)’s Williams %R presently stands at -92.21. The Williams %R oscillates in a range from 0 to -100. A reading between 0 and -20 would indicate an overbought situation. A reading from -80 to -100 would indicate an oversold situation.